Cable munition



y 1967 N. w. BRETT ETAL 3,320,881

CABLE MUNITION Filed Jan. 19. 1965 INVENTOR-S NICHOLAS W. BRETT ROYALER. CRABTREE .W g MBM ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,320,881 CABLEMUNITION Nicholas W. Brett, Baltimore, and Royale R. Crabtree, Towson,Md, assignors to the United States of America as represented by theSecretary of the Army Filed Jan. 19, 1965, Ser. No. 426,698 3 Claims.(Cl. 10223) The invention described herein may be manufactured and usedby or for the Government for governmental purpose-s, without the paymentto us of any royalty thereon.

This invention is a method of achieving an extended line source of achemical agent cloud or aerosol.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a cable containinga lethal capability that is appreciably reduced in weight to permit anincrease in the payload of chemical agent.

It is a further object to make this cable of extreme length and arrangedso that it may be dispensed lengthwise at the target area from a movingconveyance preferably trom the air.

It is another object to provide a light flexible covering for the cableso that it may be coiled on reels and readily dispensed.

The invention will be better understood by reference to the drawings inwhich:

FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatic view of the cable broken in the center toshow it may be of an indeterminate length; and

FIGURE 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 22 of FIGURE 1.

The cable has a light flexible outside cover 3 that is readily rupturedwhen ignited from the inside. The Prima Cord or pyro cord 4 is withinthe cable and extends the full length of the cover 3 and may be locatedin the center as shown or off-center or even on the outside of the cablecover. The remaining space is filled with the destructive chemicalcompound 5 which may be in a powdered, granulated, plasticized or liquidform. Attached to the Prima Cord 4 is a fuze 6 which may be attached toone end, if that end of the cable be in close proximity so that aconvenient connection may be made or a self-detonating fuze may beattached to both ends it the cable is laid in a remote area. A fuze atboth ends has the advantage in that the eflect may not be lessened, byaccidentally or otherwise, severing the cable, it will still beinitiated and fired from both ends.

Thus, cable munition takes the form of a. thin walled flexible tubecontaining a chemical agent and a Prima Cord which extends the entirelength of the munition. The covering for this munition must also beresistant to the contained chemical agent and strong enough to permitcoiling and winding without breakage. Materials such as rubber orpolyethylene are excellent and lend themselves to continuous extrusionwhich is very desirable for efiicient production. It is contemplatedthat the cable munition when produced will be cut in lengths of 500 or1000 feet and wound on suitable spools. The Prima Cord or pyro cord isavailable in various sizes, is considered safe for handling andpossesses a good tensile strength which is desirable for this use.

The agent used in this cable munition may be a chemical for smoke, gas,bacteria, fire or high power explosive such as granulated TNT orplasticized explosives. For a pyrotechnic chemical the cable may befilled with napalm, jellied gasoline or a thermite fill.

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The cable munition could be laid by hand for perimeter defense or laidat right angles for a complete crosssectional coverage. It also could belaid from truck, jeeps or tanks by unreeling the spools on which thecable is wound. Such action would be initiated to repel an expectedattack. It is contemplated that this cable munition may be more readilylaid from an air conveyance from which reels of the cable would besuspended and free to unwind, while the reels would be spaced accordingto the desired pattern. Also after the cables were laid from the air inspaced relation or approximately parallel to each other, another setcould be laid at right angles to the first set so that thatcross-sectional pattern would provide more complete coverage. Uponinitiation the munition will form an unbroken curtain of fire, smoke,toxic or an incapacitating agent for either offensive or defensivetactics. Cables carrying such a chemical agent could be air dropped overbridges, ships or buildings with the contemplation that these objectswould be completely and accurately destroyed. Where desirable apyrotechnic fill would produce, if desired, continuous walls of fire thelength of the cable dropped. Such cable could also be employed for riotcontrol without fear of damage due to falling hardware.

The advantages of this weapon are its versatility with respect to bothemployment and the type of chemical agent utilized. By reducing thehardware, the overall weight is greatly reduced and the resultingincrease in efliciency makes it much more desirable as an airbornemunition than older types. It is also advantageous that this cablemunition may be used as a completely nonlethal riot control weapon byreason of the ease of handling and delivery.

What is claimed is:

1. A cable of indeterminate length comprising a line with a flexiblecovering adapted to be coiled on a reel and rupturable on detonation, aPrima Cord within said flexible cover extending the full length thereof,a chemical agent with a lethal capability filling the remaining spacewithin the cable, self-detonating fuzes attached to both ends of saidPrima Cord to insure complete detonation upon a break in the cable, saidcable adapted to be placed in operative position by unreeling from anair or land conveyance and on detonation rupturing the flexible cover torelease the lethal chemical agent throughout the entire length of thecable.

2. A method of laying waste to a designated area which comprises layingsingle strands of explosive cable of indeterminate length havingself-detonating fuzes at opposite ends and containing a chemical agentwith a lethal capability by unreeling from a conveyance and detonatingthe explosive cable to insure upon a break in the cable the release ofthe lethal chemical agent throughout the entire length of the cable.

3. A method of covering a designated target area which comprises,coiling single strands of cable containing a lethal chemical agenthaving self-detonating fuzes at opposite ends on spools attached to anair conveyance in a spaced relation, laying said strands of cable havinga lethal capability across said area in same relation as said spools byunreeling from the air and thereafter detonating the cable at both endsas laid to insure upon a break in the cable the release of the lethalchemical agent throughout the entire length of the cable in the targetarea.

(References on following page) References Cited by the Examiner UNITEDSTATES PATENTS Bisch 102--22 P001 10222 DeFino 102*22 Tyson 102--22 X 43,114,316 12/ 1963 Littleton 102-22 3,185,090 5/1965 Weber 102-24Assistant Examiners.

1. A CABLE OF INDETERMINATE LENGTH COMPRISING A LINE WITH A FLEXIBELCOVERING ADAPTED TO BE COILED ON A REEL AND RUPTURABLE ON DETONATION, APRIMA CORD WITHIN SAID FLEXIBLE COVER EXTENDING THE FULL LENGTH THEREOF,A CHEMICAL AGENT WITH A LETHAL CAPABILITY FILLING THE REMAINING SPACEWITHIN THE CABLE, SELF-DETONATING FUZES A ATTACHED TO BOTH ENDS OF SAIDPRIMA CORD TO INSURE COMPLETE DETONATION UPON A BREAK IN THE CABLE, SAIDCABLE ADAPTED TO BE PLACED IN OPERATIVE POSITION Y UNREELING FROM AN AIROR LAND CONVEYANCE AND ON DETONATION RUPTURING THE FLEXIBLE COVER TORELEASE THE LETHAL CHEMICAL AGENT THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE LENGTH OF THECABLE.